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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Earlier this week I shared my favorite paint supplies, which was all in preparation for today's post {and entertainment center reveal}. I know there are a lot of friends out there that are looking to makeover a piece of thrifted or outdated piece of furniture, and are just having a hard time taking the plunge. I think the first piece I ever painted, I did ALL wrong. No primer. Brush streaks and drips... but, I learned. I learned that the next time I better do my research, lol. And as much as I have done research on painting, I still feel like I grow a little more each time I do it. {If you are wondering how we painted our trim, cabinets and doors, you can check out that post here.}

For this project, this crazy big lovely Craigslist find was my victim.

We started out by taking everything off, removing shelves and cabinet doors...

And finding dust, Legos and Lincoln logs under and behind the piece that has been sitting for a year without being moved...

Step one is to wipe everything down to ensure there is no dust on the piece.

Because the piece itself was in great shape, I opted to skip the sanding step. However, if you have a piece that has rough patches or imperfections, sanding is a good step to include.

I went straight to priming. I really like Zinsser Cover Stain Oil Based Primer {and no, I didn't get a dented can discount, I tried...}:

I use inexpensive brushes with the oil based primers, since they aren't all that easy {or fun} to clean, and after a couple of uses, they typically end up being discarded.

Thin, even coats are key. I start with the outside frame....

And then use a small foam roller for the larger, smooth surfaces:

Don't panic when you prime and see brush marks. This is OK with primer. The photo above is a picture of our piece all finished up and drying the recommended time before we began coating with paint.

A quick sanding with a fine grit wedge in-between coats will also help with any imperfections you find {not sure which grit to use? This will help you}.

For this project, I just ran to the local Ace Hardware and picked up some of their wall and trim paint:

I like to paint furniture in a satin finish and always use a latex enamel. Again, just follow the instructions on the can as far as how often you can re-coat.

Speaking of, I did two coats on this project. Nice, thin, even coats...

Coat 1:

Still streaky, but those streaks were completely M.I.A. after the second coat:

When it came to the cabinet doors, I forgot to photograph that process, but I did it just like I did with our kitchen cabinets...

Lay out drop cloths, place cabinet doors on 2x4's and prime, sand and paint just like you do the other parts of the furniture piece. Wait for the coats to cure before flipping and repeating on the other side.

In the photo above, you could see how I used the painters tape to tape out the new blue backdrop, which took not one...

But two coats as well. Don't forget you can wrap your brush in plastic wrap in-between coats!

To finish things off, three very thin coats of Minwax Polycrylic to protect all of that hard work!

We always wait and wait {as hard as it is}, in between each coat of each step. This is important to allow everything to cure and be durable down the line. This whole project took me over a week from start to finish. I was SO excited to put it all back together!

Here are a couple more up close views:

LOVE the knobs. They were scored on clearance from Anthro for $3 each. So pretty!

For the shelves, I actually had forgotten about them until half way through. To speed things up a smidge, I just used a spray paint primer, which seemed to work just as well, and gave a nice even coverage. Then two coats of paint just like the rest of the piece.

As you can see, we also added a shelf above the TV, just using some left over trim and melamine board {also primed and painted}.

Here it is all loaded up!

The bins on the top shelf used to be brown... just given a quick coat of spray paint to freshen them up a bit!

Games got pared down to only ones we love, play and that have all pieces... Lego build buckets, a charging station for their DS's and their video games also live on the shelves. Speaking of video games, since two of the systems moved down stairs to the playroom, so did some of the games. To store them, I just removed the games from their original cases and popped them into slimmer jewel CD cases and into a media box. Easy for the kids to find things and maintain!

In the cabinets below, we keep those larger, more awkward shaped toys {the dot bins were DIY'd here}.

And the art is just some framed scrapbook paper and the freebie printable {which I downloaded here}:

Even with all of the blues, as much as I love how "pretty" it's looking, it's a space for three boys, so I have a few more tricks up my sleeve to make it feel like home for both them and the adults of the house. More to come!

For now, a glorious before and after!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Who else has recently tackled a piece of furniture? Did it make all of the difference in your space as well? Share your links and stories!

This post came at the perfect time... We just moved an old entertainment center that is this same exact color into my daughter's playroom. We are going to paint it in the next couple of months. I did complete my first painted furniture project this last weekend and I am super proud of the way it turned out. It is definitely going to transform my space. It is the beginning of my entrywall gallery wall. Take a look... http://theocdlifestyle.blogspot.com/2012/03/entryway-table-upgrade.html

I am also in the middle of painting and reupholstering a chair that was my grandparents' from a long long time ago. I will share that when I finish too.

Jen it looks amazing!!! I love the blue backdrop with the crisp white!! I also love that you added a new shelf above the tv in the wasted space above it. Very clever and looks more built in now!! Those knobs are fab, from a distance they look painted so i'm glad you high lighted them --love that Anthro and it gives it a little feminine touch for Mom!

I just recently blogged about a dresser that I re-did for my daughters. It was a way smaller project than your entertainment center(which I am green with envy over), but it took me a lot longer to get it done.

I know you asked Jen what she did with hers, and I don't know the answer, but I had to make a compromise with my husband when we switched over to the media boxes. He refused the idea at first because he didn't want to get rid of the original cases, but finally agreed when I said we could box them up and put them in the attic. If your husband is having a hard time agreeing for the same reason mine did, maybe you can do what we did

I found plastic sleeves which allow you to keep the DVD case insert and used those when I re-did my DVD storage about a month ago. I donated the blank cases to goodwill (I knew that somebody else would find a use for them and couldn't just throw them out).

We actually worked with a disposal company the first time around since they shouldn't just be thrown away... but thanks to the suggestion of some super smart readers, we now save them and check around with schools, libraries and photographers to see if they could use the blank cases. You can always try to give them away on Freecycle.com or Craigslist as well. You never know you may be looking for some of those extra cases.

Love your blog. I am going to tackle a secretaries desk my parents gave me. I want to paint it white as well. Question: I see you primed with oil based and painted with latex...why did you do that? Can you use latex primer on wood? Thanks!!!

hey, been following for a while. Just wanted to share a recent find I found at the Home and Garden Show in Edmonton. It's called Chalk Paint (not for making chalkboards)...it's great because it needs no sanding and no priming! Just paint on almost any surface and seal with a wax or verathane (spelling?). The cans are smaller, but I was told one can could do about 6 dressers!Check it out:http://www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/copy_of_How_to_use_the_paint.html

That was a LOT of work but SOOOO worth it! Good for you. It really updates the space. It is so pretty!

I just started using Behr paint and primer in one. It is a little pricey, (about $35 a gallon) but it cuts the amount of work down immensely.

The piece I painted was very similar to yours in color and material, and I am really happy with the way it looks with two coats. I also use a brush in the cracks and crevices and use a dense foam roller for the "body". I like the finish I get with a foam roller. There, that's my two cents!

Thanks for always tackling these big projects, it encourages us all to do the same!

You are right about the Behr Paint/Primer, it's a bit pricey but I almost ALWAYS use it for everything {every wall in our home is covered in it, even our trim}. I personally have found that when it comes to painting furniture, I have the best luck priming and doing two thin coats of regular ol' paint. I find the Behr Paint/Primer to be a little thicker and drippier {and I haven't tried adding floetrol since it's a combo paint and I am not sure how that would work}.

This is one of the most easy to understand tutorials on painting furniture I have ever read. Thank you for being so clear and succinct with your instructions! I am not QUITE as intimidated to paint some of our own furniture now. Thanks for encouraging us to jump in. Also- wrapping your paintbrush in plastic in between coats... Genius!

It looks amazing Jen and your work is always so inspirational!! I am curious what color you spray painted the blue baskets that used to be brown.....they are the exact color I am looking for. Your blog is definately one of my favorites! Thank you for all that you do!

Great question. I actually didn't do any protective finish, I did them over five years ago and followed some directions online that didn't mention it. Now, even though I know the benefit, I haven't done it since I have intentions of updating the entire kitchen, paint and all and didn't want the extra step of removing it down the line.

Oh my goodness! A whole week?! You truly have patience. :) But it was all worth it because it looks GREAT! I love how you spruced up the cardboard boxes into what they are now. I will have to try that out sometime. Just recently started reading your blog and I am impressed at all the wonderful little things you have done to make a better home and a more organized home.

This is a beautiful project. I agree with you on how important it is to allow each coat to dry thoroughly before moving on. I received a great tip from a paint dealer when I was buying a really intense color and that is to allow the paint to dry an extra hour for every ounce of color added to the base paint. My daughter and I love your blog and have been so very inspired! Thanks for sharing.

This looks fantastic Jen! So fresh and it doesn't have such a heavy footprint anymore. It's a great backdrop for those awesome knobs to pop too! I see the wall color is different..can't wait to see how you finish the space!

I just survived my first attempt at painting a piece of furniture - an old bed frame we used to move our son into a "big-boy bed". It was totally worth it! This post is a great reference for future painting projects!

I never thought of wrapping my brush up between coats! It seems to obvious though. Glad to know it now. :) It would have been helpful during my kitchen cabinet paint job as well as this coffee table make-over: http://twentyonehouse.com/2012/03/23/bogo-living-room-updates-that-is/

Great transformation...the power of paint is amazing! I recently painted our dining room table. I used the same steps with primer & 2 coats of paint. http://cents-ablespaces.blogspot.com/2012/02/table-switcheroo.html

I love what you did with your media center! I'm assuming this was a solid wood/oak piece of furniture? I have one that looks similar but it's laminate. Have you ever painted one like that, and if so, did you have success? Thanks so much!

It was both actually. The shelves were laminate and the piece was oak. I treated them both the same and it seemed to work just fine. I also have a laminate dresser in my studio that is next on the list - I will research and post if I do anything different that time around.

The first one was after I wanted to update our kitchen cabinets. Hubby prepped all the cabinets (removed all paint and sanded down to bare wood). I wanted to switch from water-based paint to oil-based for kitchen cabinets for better durability. I did all the painting (oil-based primer, white oil-based paint w/penetrol (2 coats), and finished with a dark brown glaze (using cheese cloth to remove excess). It turned out soo beautifully! It took a bit longer than expected (it was the 1st time I had painted w/oil-based paints, so there was a bit of a learning curve to get the hang of working with it and clean up)

The 2nd project I recently did was a dresser I bought off craigslist to use as a baby dresser/changing table. Again, I sanded the entire piece to remove the verethane coating, primed w/oil-bases primer, and used an oil-based semi-gloss bold teal paint (2 coats). I love it!

Thank you SO much for this post. I have two bookcases that are black that I bought out of necessity that I've been wanting to paint but wasn't sure exactly how to approach the project. This gave me loads of help and advice. Thanks, Jen!

I just did this with a bookcase and buffet style cupboard.... who knew you needed primer and a top coat to protect...arrrghhh! I will have to redo as they are already peeling ! thanks for the top tips! :)

It looks awesome! What a great work! You inspire me so much! What room does this piece of furniture belong to? You mentioned a playroom, so I was wondering if you have separate spaces for your boys' toys... We currently have all the toys divided between the living room, my son's room and are planning a playroom in the basement.. which is not that ideal.. so I guess I am just looking for some solutions.. Thanks for sharing this!

You are so crafty! I have to ask about your hair, I LOVE it! Do you mind if I ask what color you use and how often?Do you do it yourself or go to the salon? I would love to go blonde, but I don't know , would love your insight. take care and regards from Germany!

I used to color my hair dark myself to save money, since I really struggle coloring it blonde on my own without getting a yellow shade. We had a 10 year vow renewal last summer that I was determined to be blonde for {since that was my original color}, so I started to go to my hair stylist 6-8 months prior to gradually begin the lightening process. Now that it's blonde {and I love it too much to go back to the dark side, lol}, I go every 10 weeks to just do a partial foil to the roots. The under side of my hair is actually still really dark... I am not sure of the exact color she mixes, I go to an Aveda salon.

You mentioned using a spray primer - what kind, and how was in it comparison to the Z? I'm buying a used, icky oak dining set for our kitchen and will want to refinish it someday. I've also heard good things about the Z, and anything that eliminates sanding is right up my alley. The chairs on this set have several, very thin spindles, so I think spray would be best for coverage. Would you advise a good quality spray paint for that type of furniture or have you used a good paint sprayer? I guess there would only be flat & high-gloss options with spray paint, but maybe there's a satin out there I haven't seen. We primed & painted an iron bedframe, and I really wasn't happy with the finish due to the brushes/our ineptitude (but seeing a bright orange iron bed everyday still makes me smile).

Ok, I just purchased a "well loved" entertainment center today and had your tutorial in mind when I purchased it for just FIVE dollars! If I can make it look like yours - I will be SO happy! I'm going to follow your tutorial exactly :) thanks for posting this!

I just one a bedroom piece and would like to paint it black and maybe a little plum. Wouldn't I do better with a higher gloss paint, or does that make the polycrylic make it shiny enough and resistant to dirt?

The polycrylic will give it a protective, cleanable finish. However, you can also do a glossier paint and let it cure completely (which can take up to a month or two), which will also offer an easy-to-clean end result. I personally have never done a high gloss paint with a poly, I don't think that would be necessary.

This looks amazing! My baby's crib is a natural color and I have been wanting to paint it white but was always nervous to. Would you use this same process to paint a crib? Do I need to be worried about any chemicals/fumes near the baby?Thanks!! Love your blog!!!

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